It's Eliza's 17th Birthday And I Can't Even Get My Head Around The Fact She Is This Age. Why Didn't 16 Affect Me Like This? Why Do My Kids Grow Up So Quickly? Why Won't She Let Me Homeschool Her For College?

I had such high hopes for cranking out a second blog post - right on the heels of my reintroduction - riding a wave of well-wishes and fresh eyes.  But I have a dog now.  So not only am I not producing blog posts on a timely basis, I'm also not getting a shower in until almost noon and I'm spending an inordinate amount of time watching YouTube videos about puppy mouthing and Fetch.

Having a young dog is like having a baby again.  I make sure he has stimulating toys, that he's eating only healthy snacks, I even find myself casually obsessively judging his poop quality to gauge his overall health.  And I'm so proud when he uses his good manners and greets people with a nice 'sit' - a rare event as he has developed the embarrassing habit of what can best be described as submissive peeing.  "Welcome to our home!  Just step over our dog. (Otis is, at this point, laying on his back and peeing on himself) What can I get you to drink?"

I was a little anxious the first time I took him to the dog park.  Like dropping your sweet baby off at preschool for the first time, I worried no one would play with him.  He was fine.  But there is so much else for me to fixate on at this point.  I worry that he's the only dog barking in the park.  Why does he like the dog with the short tail so much?  Why does he steal balls from other dogs?  How did he manage to eat an entire frisbee?  Did I just sit in pee?  Would a dog pee on this bench?  Is this jacket machine-washable?

I was much cooler when I was dealing with my children.  And here they are - my kids, even the furry one.

gratitude:  being a mom to Eliza and J.D., gift cards found at the bottom of my purse, Imitrex, dog toys that can be filled with treats

thanks and love.